INDIANAPOLIS | As she glanced around in absolute awe, Roz Howell felt like she had just walked onto the floor of the Grand Canyon.
The retired Hobart High School guidance director was sitting on the second tier near the 40-yard line of the $720 million Lucas Oil Stadium, new home to the NFL's Indianapolis Colts.
"(The new stadium) was incredible. The lighting was awesome with no shadows anywhere, the seats were like luxury seats with plenty of leg room, and there's lots of venues offering all kinds of different American and ethnic food," said Howell, who now lives in Fishers, Ind.
"I was very, very impressed."
Howell and daughter Marilyn, son-in-law Doug and grandchildren Morgan, Patrick and Josh attended a prep doubleheader at the stadium Aug. 22 that drew 35,000 and was sponsored by Peyton Manning's charity foundation.
The first game featured Fishers against Noblesville, and Manning spent half the game on each team's sideline, signing autographs faster than a short order cook can flip burgers.
Lucas Oil Stadium has a capacity of 63,000 -- 72,000 for a Super Bowl -- and the joint was rocking for Sunday night's official regular-season opener with the Bears. The Monsters of the Midway beat the Colts 29-13 in the first official game in the new stadium.
Unlike the RCA Dome next door, the new stadium features a retractable roof and a giant sliding window in the north end zone that offers a genuine outside feel when both are open, as they were Sunday.
Howell's late husband, Don, coached football at Hobart for years and led his teams to 11 state championship games at the RCA Dome, winning four titles.
No comparison, Roz Howell said.
"The view ... you could see every play at Lucas Oil Field," she said. "Fans are much closer to the field. You can hear the screams, but it's not as bad as the (RCA) Dome. The acoustics are much better.
"I think people are going to be very happy with it. I was glad I went."
Indianapolis will host the 2012 Super Bowl, which is expected to generate $400 million for the local economy.
